Q:What do you plan to do once you finish at First Coast Technical College School of Culinary Arts?

A:Go to business school to one day open my restaurant. Then, write many, many cookbooks!

Name: Rachael Rogers

Hometown: Hanson, Mass.

Age: 43

Q:Who is your favorite chef? Why?

A:Giada de Laurentis. I love that she is a trained chef.

Q:What’s your favorite dish?

A:Cheesecake.

Q:What’s your favorite ingredient?

A:I love to bake with edible flowers.

Q:Do you follow recipes or adapt as you go?

A:I follow the first time & tweak from there.

Q:Do you watch cooking shows on TV? If so, which ones?

A:Yes, Food Network is on in my house all the time.

Q:What’s the worst dish you’ve ever made?

A:Pretty much anything I cook. I’m a baker, not a cook.

Q:Do you eat the food you have prepared?

A:Yes.

Q:Do you have any trade secrets that you would like to share?

A:In baking, patience is key.

Q:What do you plan to do once you finish at First Coast Technical College School of Culinary Arts?

A:I plan to get my CPC, or Certified Pastry Chef, while in school, and then eventually work up to my CEPC, or certified executive pastry chef.

Ingredients

Crust:

2 cups graham crackers

8 tbsp. (1 US stick) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 10×10 pan with parchment that overhangs the edges. Mix the butter and graham crackers together and press into the bottom of the pan evenly. Bake crust for 5 minutes and allow to cool completely.

Filling:

2 bricks (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

½ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs plus one large egg white

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

½ cup sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

¾ cup prepared lime curd, divided (recipe below)

Liquid green food coloring

Liquid yellow food coloring

Tint the ¾ cup of lime curd with the liquid food coloring until lime-rind green. You will use a few drops of both green and yellow food coloring. Set lime curd aside.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with mixer on medium high speed until smooth. Beat in eggs on low speed, 1 at a time. Beat in sour cream and vanilla, then flour just until blended. Remove 1 cup of batter and reserve. Pour the rest of the batter over the crust.

Mix ½ cup of tinted lime curd with the 1 cup of reserved batter. Place spoonfuls, or dollops, of this mixture in no particular fashion on top of the plain cheesecake batter. Dollop the remaining 1/4 cup of lime curd across the previous mixture. Use skewer to swirl the mixtures together to create a marbleized effect. Bake for 35 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Let cool completely in pan then refrigerate. Lift cheesecake out of the pan with parchment overhang. Cut into bars before serving.

Lime Curd

8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter,

softened at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1/3 cup plus 4 tbsp. fresh lime juice

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer. Slowly add the eggs and yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour in lime juice and mix again. Expect the mixture to look curdled, this is normal. Cook the mixture over medium heat in a medium-size saucepan until it looks smooth (no longer curdled). Increase the heat slightly and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens. Clip a thermometer to the side of the pan and cook until the mixture reaches 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the curd from the heat. Transfer the curd to a bowl and press plastic wrap on the surface of the lime curd to keep a skin from forming. Chill the curd in the refrigerator. The curd will thicken further as it cools. Covered tightly, it will keep in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for 2 months.

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(The videography is great! LOVED the overhead of the top as Raven was decorating! One small thing: Please don't put a large bowl or pot or pan in front of the mixing bowl, etc., as it obscures the action from the camera angle. Thank you!)